things I would do differently (a thread for the benefit of the class of 2009):

1) save all those business cards in a single place

1) send the thank you notes the SAME day after the interview and as per above, save/obtain contact info
2) start my excel spread sheet (call, moonlighting info, etc...) after EACH interview, not filling it in at the very end (I didn't end up filling mine in btw...)
3) try harder to cluster my interviews together (same location same time)
4) call the programs that rejected me to ask them to look at my application again (there are two such programs I should have done this for), you never know right?
5) Do my USMLE step II earlier, right after third year.... get it out of the way if possible
6) you might also want to take step II CS to get it out of the way
7) check out hostels and ask for the price of a private room, WAY cheaper than a hotel room in big cities, PLUS you still get the privacy of a single room!
8) Would have gotten a 'more comfortable' suit EARLY on
9) Bring shoe polish with you (slush/snow can put salt stains on shoes)
10) Try NOT to hav 3-4 interview in a row.... it is VERY tiering, EVEN IF they are in the same city! trust me on this one!
and finally....
11) I learned later on that the dinner/social before hand was not important at ALL in the admission process, and would skip out on them later on.... due to time consideration. BUT Its still good to go to get a feel for whom you'll be working with next year! I just felt you can meet them at the lunch the day OF the interview and save time

GOOD LUCK!

Ocean11

also check pricline for the cheapest hotel rates...the discounted rates from the program were not the cheapest ones

1) send the thank you notes the SAME day after the interview and as per above, save/obtain contact info
2) start my excel spread sheet (call, moonlighting info, etc...) after EACH interview, not filling it in at the very end (I didn't end up filling mine in btw...)
3) try harder to cluster my interviews together (same location same time)
4) call the programs that rejected me to ask them to look at my application again (there are two such programs I should have done this for), you never know right?
5) Do my USMLE step II earlier, right after third year.... get it out of the way if possible
6) you might also want to take step II CS to get it out of the way
7) check out hostels and ask for the price of a private room, WAY cheaper than a hotel room in big cities, PLUS you still get the privacy of a single room!
8) Would have gotten a 'more comfortable' suit EARLY on
9) Bring shoe polish with you (slush/snow can put salt stains on shoes)
10) Try NOT to hav 3-4 interview in a row.... it is VERY tiering, EVEN IF they are in the same city! trust me on this one!
and finally....
11) I learned later on that the dinner/social before hand was not important at ALL in the admission process, and would skip out on them later on.... due to time consideration. BUT Its still good to go to get a feel for whom you'll be working with next year! I just felt you can meet them at the lunch the day OF the interview and save time

GOOD LUCK!

Ocean11

I agree with all of the above. Also, although I believe the pre-interview dinner does not help the admissions process, I personally feel it does help YOUR ranking process. I felt like I got to know the residents a bit more during that time. Also, questions about the city, cost of living, etc were better answered at dinner the night before versus at the interview day lunch

I would have coordinated my interviews a bit more, would definitely have saved money on flights.

I honestly felt that the dinner the night before hand was the MOST IMPORTANT part of the interview process, for me at least. The interns and residents were always able to answer the questions I had, and you get a flavor for the type of work environment you will become a part of.

I definitely would have emailed all my thank you notes.

During the first half, I painstakingly wrote out all of my notes by hand (i usually have horrible penmanship so I had to be extra slow and careful when I wrote)....and I got NO responses.

Then on my last 5 (the five that I really want to go to), I actually emailed my thank you note and got a response 9/10.

I second NyMD's comments. We all get caught at the beginning about writing vs. emailing and navy suit vs. charcoal. All of this is garbage. None of it matters. Honestly! Writing an email is much easier and we are all better at it, since hardly no one mails things anymore these days. Same with the suit, be professional, black, blue, charcoal, no one cares. The suits are wrinkled halfway through the day and those shirts underneath might as well not even be ironed cuz u wear the jacket all day. I am being a little sarcastic, but you get the point.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion everyone. It's little things like this you don't think of until the time comes...

Something that worked for me was, I sat down at the end of the interview day and immediately wrote myself some notes about my impressions of the program, while my thoughts were still fresh. It was actually really helpful to go back to those thoughts when trying to compare programs for the rank list (eg, trying to remember how I felt about a program I visited in early November and compare that to a program I visited in late January). My categories were: things I liked, things I didn't like, things I need more info about.

It's the same idea as the ever-popular spreadsheet, but a bit more free-form because my brain just doesn't work that way.

If you're too exhausted to jot the notes right at the end of the interview day, it's a good activity for the plane ride home.

...not stressing so much about whether I spoke with the PD/DoM during my interviews. In the end, I got a prematch at my #1 program by speaking with a chief resident and another doctor on the residency application board.
also, I echo that the pre-interview dinner is way overrated. It does not factor into the program's decision, and I felt I got a good feel of the residents during the lunch and tour portions of the day.

BUMP.

Interesting thread for upcoming season. Any additions?

I'll chime in:

1. My suit was comfortable, but the button-down shirt underneath was terrible. For the ladies, a nice camisole under the suit is just fine.
2. Never again will I wear heels during the winter in Michigan.
3. Since I was visiting multiple cities, I should have taken more time to visit more friends there, because I haven't seen them since.
4. Don't drink the coffee, you will be angry with yourself a the number of bathroom visits you will need during the day.
5. The Altoids came in handy.
6. I always carried around extra copies of my LORs, and actually extra LORs that were not on ERAS. This was great at 2 interviews when the interviewers asked for an extra copy because for some reason the ERAS ones were not in the folder the coordinator gave them.

I may think of some other things....

6. I always carried around extra copies of my LORs, and actually extra LORs that were not on ERAS. This was great at 2 interviews when the interviewers asked for an extra copy because for some reason the ERAS ones were not in the folder the coordinator gave them.

I may think of some other things....

How did you carry LORs??? How did you get a copy of them???

How did you carry LORs??? How did you get a copy of them???

I was about to ask the same question. Aren't we not allowed to have the LOR's... let alone even see them?

A couple of my letter writers just gave me the LOR and told me to mail it in.

It is up to the letter writer if they want you to see the letter or not. They have the choice to mail it in or give it to you.

Don't ask for your letters, that always looks bad. However, if they just hand it to you, then it's not a problem.

A couple of my letter writers just gave me the LOR and told me to mail it in.

It is up to the letter writer if they want you to see the letter or not. They have the choice to mail it in or give it to you.

Don't ask for your letters, that always looks bad. However, if they just hand it to you, then it's not a problem.

How long ago did you apply? I don't think my dean's office accepts letters from students to upload onto ERAS. Did this change perhaps? Although, I suppose if the letter writer gives you the letter and the cover sheet, you could just mail it to your dean's office and they wouldn't know who mailed it.

How long ago did you apply? I don't think my dean's office accepts letters from students to upload onto ERAS. Did this change perhaps? Although, I suppose if the letter writer gives you the letter and the cover sheet, you could just mail it to your dean's office and they wouldn't know who mailed it.

I applied in 2005.

However, something I don't think you realize, I was a Carib student. The LOR process for my school did not directly involve the dean's office. The LORs were supposed to be mailed in to the ERAS office directly by the writer. But, for some reason, a couple of my guys just handed me the cover sheet and letter and asked me to mail it in.

I wouldn't a bring a beer to the interview - didn't go well . . . EVEN THOUGH, I brought one for the interviewer!!

(some people are just so thankless)

I wouldn't a bring a beer to the interview - didn't go well . . . EVEN THOUGH, I brought one for the interviewer!!

(some people are just so thankless)

:laugh: if asked about what are your strengths, you couldve crushed it open on your forehead ;)...but I do want to know one thing, would one come across looking cheesy carrying a briefcase/attache, and would you rather advise portfolios; or either is okay?

:laugh: if asked about what are your strengths, you couldve crushed it open on your forehead ;)...but I do want to know one thing, would one come across looking cheesy carrying a briefcase/attache, and would you rather advise portfolios; or either is okay?

http://www.ebags.com/zero_halliburton/70th_anniversary_attache/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=132939

I picked this one up because of the successful image it projects and and it's incomparable utility. You can find them for cheaper in other models, and also you can get them in leather if your physique and personality are not awe-inspiring enough to pull off the aluminum finish. I would also recommend something simpler like a leather padfolio with or without zipper if you want to look more mediocre.

http://www.ebags.com/zero_halliburton/70th_anniversary_attache/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=132939

I picked this one up because of the successful image it projects and and it's incomparable utility. You can find them for cheaper in other models, and also you can get them in leather if your physique and personality are not awe-inspiring enough to pull off the aluminum finish. I would also recommend something simpler like a leather padfolio with or without zipper if you want to look more mediocre.

haha, well done tfom08 :roflcopter:

$1200 . . . had no idea brief cases got so expensive

$1200 . . . had no idea brief cases got so expensive

I think if you buy that briefcase you should also buy a chain so you can handcuff the briefcase to your arm like they do in the movies when they carry around the super valuable briefcases full of top-secret information or $100 bills.

I think if you buy that briefcase you should also buy a chain so you can handcuff the briefcase to your arm like they do in the movies when they carry around the super valuable briefcases full of top-secret information or $100 bills.

Good point. You would totally HAVE TO!!!

I bet you can pick up chicks like that, easy.

1) Priceline
2) Priceline
3) Priceline
4) Relax
5) Spend your time worrying about where you feel comfortable & fit in, NOT about how many unit months you have as an R3 or how many nights of float you have or how many beds are in the hospital or what % of residents got their #1 cards fellowship choice vs. #2 or 3.
6) Wear comfortable shoes
7) Have fun with your co-interviewees--talk to them, they just may be your colleagues
8) Priceline